Sharon may draw new line in the sand over barrier

Israel plans to dispute the International Court of Justice's right to rule on its massive new complex of walls and fences in the West Bank but has hinted that it may alter the project to ease the suffering of Palestinian civilians along the route.

With concern mounting in Jerusalem about next month's court hearings in The Hague, the Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, convened a meeting of his inner cabinet on Sunday to discuss Israel's response.

According to accounts released to the media, the Sharon Government plans to re-examine the route of the barrier in advance of the court hearings, while rejecting any suggestion that it is doing so under international pressure.

"A further discussion of the fence's route, if it occurs, will stem only from internal Israeli considerations," Mr Sharon told the meeting, according to a statement released by his office.

"Perhaps further thought is needed about the possibility of changing the route in a way that would reduce operational mishaps without harming security."

The meeting also decided that Israel would base its case at The Hague on its view that the court has no jurisdiction to interfere with Israel's security measures. Some senior government officials are known to have favoured boycotting the hearings, where Palestinians hope to put the entire Israeli occupation and settlement of the West Bank and Gaza on public trial.

Although the Israeli Government justifies construction of its 600-kilometre, $US1 billion ($1.3 billion) barrier as a defence against Palestinian terrorists, it is widely believed within official circles that the barrier's route deep inside the occupied territories makes it unlikely that the court will find in Israel's favour.

Palestinians say that the fence's convoluted route - looping deep into the West Bank to wall Palestinian towns and villages off from each other and to curve around Jewish settlements in the heart of the territories - will in practice annex to Israel more than half of the Arab territory that it seized in the 1967 war.

The United Nations and human rights groups say the barrier is damaging the lives of much of the West Bank's Palestinian population of 2 million, dividing farmers from their land, children from schools, workers from workplaces and towns from their hinterlands.

According to accounts of Sunday's meeting, Mr Sharon acknowledged that the barrier was "unsatisfactory in the harm it does to Palestinians' daily lives" and that changes could be made to ease their suffering.

These changes could include alterations to sections of the barrier not yet built and changes to the operation of the lengthy sections already in existence.

Next month's case stems from a landmark decision of the UN General Assembly last year to refer the legality of the wall to the international court for adjudication. Australia was one of a small number of countries to join the US and Israel in voting against the move.